Contributor's Corner

New ideas and thoughts from some of our very favorite health and wellness experts.

You Know You Really Need It When You Don’t Have Time for It

By Marianne Elliott (@zenpeacekeeper) / May 7, 2013

Recently one of my online students wrote a post explaining why she was signing up for my course again. She wrote:

I need this right now. Because I don’t have time. Because I’m too tired to make the effort on my own. Because I feel weak and I know it’ll hurt. These aren’t excuses not to take care of myself, these are reasons I need to.

Which is exactly how I felt about going to yoga class recently. I was in San Francisco at the time, spending a couple of days in a city I think of as my second home on my way back to New Zealand from New York.

This particular afternoon for various reasons (including a lot of travel in the previous week, an unrealistic work plan for the morning, sleep deprivation and forgetting to eat breakfast) I felt overwhelmed. Despite a rising sense of panic at my lack of progress on the to-do list, I rushed into the city for a meeting. As I left the meeting, I noticed there was a yoga class about to start right at the bottom of the building.

And because I felt sure I didn’t have time for the class, I decided to stay. I borrowed a mat and slipped into the back of the class just a few moments before the opening OM.

I knew I needed it because I didn’t have time for it.

A sure sign that I really need a walk is when I feel way too busy to go for a walk. And when I’m too busy to do yoga, well – that’s when I need it the most.

So for the next hour I forgot about my to-do list. And when I left I felt renewed, reminded why I do yoga – and why I teach it. I was also reminded that the times when we are convinced we are too busy to take care of ourselves are the times we need it the most.

I know that sometimes you really don’t have the time (or the money) to go to a yoga class.

But even then, I know you can learn to do your own simple, short but powerful yoga practices at home. Ten minutes of energizing poses in the morning. Five minutes of grounding practice in the middle of a crazy day. Fifteen minutes of relaxing yoga before bed.

My own experience has taught me, and now research is emerging to confirm that experience, that a small amount of yoga done daily will have more positive impact on your physical and mental health than a longer class or practice once a week. One UCLA study found that 12 minutes of yoga meditation per day decreased depression in participants. And I’m convinced that anyone can find 12 minutes a day for a little bit of yoga, even if it means waking up 12 minutes earlier than usual.

Since so many people don’t have time for yoga, I’ve made it my mission find an approach to yoga that would fit into their busy life. I created a course just for people who are “Too Busy To Do Yoga,” with yoga practices you can do anywhere, even practices you can do at your computer (although I do encourage leaving the computer if possible).

So here are four ways to fit in some yoga when you really need it but don’t have any time for it:

1. Lie down and do nothing for five minutes
In yoga this is called savasana, or corpse pose and for a lot of people it’s the hardest pose of all. One of my students told me that first time she tried a five minute savasana she caught herself getting up to send an email in the middle of the pose three times in a row, and each time had to talk herself into lying back down by promising herself she’d write the email as soon as she was done. It’s not easy, but it is powerful. Give your body a five minute rest and see how much more energy you have in your day. My tip: set an alarm for five minutes so that you don’t have to check your phone every minute to see how much longer you have to go!

2. Breathe deeply
It’s the oldest stress-beating advice in the book, and it still works. Take five minutes to slow and deepen your breath. The best way to get a deeper, fuller breath is by extending your breath beyond the chest into the full diaphragm – so that you feel the breath filling your belly, and then your ribcage (back and sides as well as the front) and then your chest. Important tip: don’t force this, you don’t want to feel any strain or constriction in the breath. Deepen your breath as much as you can while still feeling soft.

3. Sun salutes
This one requires a little bit more yoga knowledge, but most people who have been to a few yoga classes will have learned this basic series of poses. The beauty of the sun salute is that it uses your whole body, strengthening, opening and releasing tension in your arms, shoulders, back and legs. Three to six sun salutes every day will make a difference to your body and your mood, guaranteed.

4. Yoga at the computer
You can do a few simple poses to relax your shoulders, wrist and neck at the computer. Add in some deep breathing and you’ll be calming your mind as well. I put together a simple ten minute yoga routine for people who spend most of their day at the computer.

When you are most convinced you don’t have time for yoga, try one of these ultra-quick yoga fixes and notice the difference it makes to your day!

Marianne Elliott is an acclaimed author, human rights advocate and yoga teacher who writes and teaches on creating, developing and sustaining real change in personal life, work and the world. She is the creator of the popular “30 Days of Yoga“ courses and author of Zen Under Fire, a memoir about doing good and being well in war-torn Afghanistan.

Turkish Chopped Salad Recipe

By Melissa Joulwan (@melicious11) / May 2, 2013

Flowers are blooming. Birds are chirping. I’m burrowing out of my winter hibernation. Spring has sprung! And that means one thing for my eating habits: I’m craving fresh vegetables!

This is one of those recipes that makes everyone think you’re a genius because it tastes so good (while inside you know the real secret: lots of chopping). Think of it as a secret weapon for your next potluck. Bright and crunchy, it’s ridiculously healthy — without tasting like it’s ridiculously healthy — and it’s so friendly and eager to please. Cut the recipe in half if you don’t want leftovers or double it up to share at a potluck.

Make this recipe your own! Add other raw veggies like slivered red cabbage, fennel, or a few hot peppers. Toss in green olives instead of black, or roasted red peppers instead of raw. The only requirement? Chop everything into equal-sized dice, so no one taste dominates. And if you eat dairy, you might also want to toss in some goat’s milk feta cheese cubes… just sayin’…

Turkish Chopped Salad

PREP 15 minutes (all chopping!) | SERVES 6-8

INGREDIENTS
Dressing:
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced (about 1/4 cup)
juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon sumac (optional)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper, to taste

Salad:
2 medium cucumbers, peeled
2 medium green peppers, seeded
3 medium tomatoes
1/2 medium red onion
1 bunch radishes, tops removed
1 can (6 ounces) large black pitted olives

DIRECTIONS
Chop the parsley and place in a medium bowl. Add the lemon juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano, and sumac. Whisk until blended, then slowly drizzle in the oil, stirring vigorously. Season with salt and pepper, taste, then adjust seasonings.

Dice all the vegetables into roughly the same size — a 1/4-inch dice is nice — and place in a large mixing bowl. Slice the olives and add to the bowl.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss with two wooden spoons until the vegetables are coated. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Melissa Joulwan blogs at The Clothes Make The Girl and is author of Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat.

“Runnas”

By Randy Jacobus / April 30, 2013

Editor’s Note: Randy Jacobus, 48, is a hedge-fund manager from Eden Prairie, Minn., and a long-time member of Life Time Fitness. A runner since high school, he completed three marathons before qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2011. He had planned to run the world-famous course in 2012, but deferred to 2013 due to the heat (“Little did I know,” he says). The 2013 Boston Marathon was meant to be his “bucket list” race — the last one. Given the chain of events that played out just minutes after he crossed the finish line, however, Jacobus is hoping to run it again in 2014 or 2015 to show his support of Boston and its phenomenal tradition. Here, Jacobus shares his first-hand account of his experience.

The van is late. Short, nervous chitchats. Another drink of water. Nibble on a banana. Are we going to make it in time? Finally, the van arrives and in we squeeze. On the road, our driver demands introductions, a tradition of his. “North Carolina, Quebec, New York, Minnesota, Tennessee …” We are from all parts, some making second trips, others their first. We’re all anxious.

The traffic looks to be backed up for miles. Narrow roads and only one way to go — how are we going to make it? Proud local cops tersely deny access and turn cars away. Our driver rolls down his window, and in his think Boston accent says, “Runnas, I’ve got Runnas.” A secret code. The officer smiles, moves the barricade and ushers us to a clear lane straight to Athlete’s Village and the starting line of the 2013 Boston Marathon.

I’m shivering in the breeze, not sure if it’s the temperature or nerves, lost amongst the runners and not sure where to go. They’re tall, short; some are sitting, some standing; most with a predetermined plan, a ritual. They have done this many times: first the socks, then the shoes, tying them just right. Sunscreen, energy gels, sunglasses, time goals written on their arms. They speak in many languages: French, Spanish, Japanese. Some are old acquaintances reuniting; some are with bigger groups; others alone. All with strong calves and legs.

Trying to fit in, I removed my sweatshirt, stretched my tight hamstring, and rocked my calves back and forth against the curb, taking in all the sights and wishing I had my cell phone to take a few pictures. I had never seen so many yellow buses. Surely this middle school never intended to have 27,000 runners stretching and napping on every inch of its grounds. I handed my bag to the volunteer. “It will be there,” she said, “just pick it up at the finish line.” She then pointed me in the direction of the starting line, and I began the slow jog to the starting area, nervous about what lay ahead.

Small houses lined the narrow street to the corrals. One with a sign that read “Free Wares” received the most attention: Free bib pins, band-aids, hair clips — you name it, you could find it at this house, and it was free. The porta potties were on the left side of the road in a parking lot, hundreds of them. The far ones had the least activity, so that is where I headed one last time before the start.

I could see corral No. 9 just down the hill, where runners were waiting nervously for the gun to sound and the official start of Wave 1. There were nine corrals, each holding 1,000 runners. Security carefully monitored the bib colors and who they let down to the starting area. At 10 am, the gun sounded and the first wave was off. Wave two next, and security checked the bibs, turning the blue bibs away harshly, “Only red and white!” I headed for corral number one.

We stood idly, a little more nervous chitchat and some stretching. Then the gun sounded and we were off. Winding down we went, the Hopkington roads narrow and hilly. I was always watching my step: We were shoulder to shoulder; there was no room for error. Sharply down and faster, keeping a 7-minute pace felt easy. Then a sharp upturn and the pace slowed. Back and forth this went as we wound thru Ashland, local support waving their traditional signs and playing their motivational music. It was mostly older, traditional, and family support along these parts — they were proud to be our host.

The first 10k came and went, and I was running a little faster than my targeted pace. The conversations around me started to percolate as the flatter terrain encouraged a rhythm. Some runners reunited, others meeting for the first time. Two girls from Wisconsin connect over their similarities: both getting married in June, both with fiancés who did not run, both high school sweethearts. “Go Alaska!” “Go Canada!” “Go Russia!” I was surrounded by an international melting pot. Running side by side, I found a partner that I could stride with and forget about the miles ahead.

We ran uphill into Natick and then downhill into Wellesley, passed the halfway point. A glance at the watch and I was a little behind schedule, but not much. Hundreds of college girls lined the street, begging for kisses from all the sweaty men. “Kiss me, I am a chemistry major!” “I run better naked!” These are the Wellesley Girls and they seem to go on forever. A good distraction, no doubt, but soon there’s another sharp downhill turn and mile 16 was in sight. My quads ached and I feared more down hills. Runners started passing me.

My legs felt heavy, but there were only 10 miles to go. Uphill we ran toward Brookline. Another hill and more runners went around me like Billy goats. Was my pace slowing that much? Into Newton we ran, where the Boston College fraternity boys are loud. “Colorado, pick it up, you can do it,” they scream. This is Heart Break Hill, the final and toughest climb at mile 21. I counted my footsteps to take my mind off the endless climb, and I didn’t look up for fear of giving up. “You can do it Colorado!” I made it to the top, but my pace … Why were they passing me?

Five miles to go and it’s all downhill. We entered Brookline and Boston proper; more college kids lined the street and the crowds seemed to be growing. This should have been the easy part, with a gradual downhill all the way to the finish, but it felt like a knife was piercing my right side. I couldn’t stand tall and I couldn’t lift my right leg. I slowly moved to the side — the side without the jeering students: “Come on Colorado, you are almost there!” I walked next to the T-line where security guards lined the street, protecting the runners from veering onto the tracks and keeping spectators from getting too close. I wanted to run but couldn’t and a few others joined me on my walk. But they walked a lot faster.

Mile 23 came and went, and yet I was still pain. “Colorado, Colorado, Colorado …” they chanted and I tried to get going again. My goal at this point was to finish. One foot in front of another, I counted my strides, just get to mile 24, and though more people passed, I was still moving. The streets were lined with supportive crowds who encourage and pushed.

Mile 25: one more mile, an eternity. More crowds, more support. Turning the corner onto Boylston Street, I saw the finish line and could hear the crowd’s support. Other runners in similar situations, plodded next to me, and we crossed the rubber marking the finish. We stopped our watches — 3 hours and 54 minutes later.

I was disappointed with my time, but relieved it was over. My legs were sore and numb, and my energy was sapped, but there were smiling faces all around. Amidst hugs and congratulations, we moved slowly through the finishing corral to gather water, refreshments, snacks, medals and, most importantly, a blanket to warm us from the chilly breeze that blew in our face. I wanted to get off my feet. I was too tired to find my bag and moved quickly to the right, through the crowded family greeting area, to the first bus heading back to Hopkington. The buses were warm, and I was cold and tired. A few other runners had similar ideas.

The first blast startled us all. “What was that?” we all muttered simultaneously. As we sat, the second blast hit and shook the bus. The driver was alarmed. “What the …?” he asks. We sat quietly, wondering, hoping the sounds were not what we thought they were. The driver’s radio crackled and what we all knew was confirmed: two bomb blasts one block away, the hotel blocking our view and sheltering us from the chaos. Spectators ran by our bus, one with blood on his back: “Get to Mass General, follow me, I am not a crazy! Two bombs, hundreds are bleeding. We need to get to Mass General to give blood. PLEASE, follow me!” And people did.

Our bus was full of anxious runners. Concerned about additional bomb blasts, some asked the driver to depart. He snapped back patriotically, “We are staying put in case they need us to transport the injured. Sit down!” A few minutes later, the radio crackled again and the driver slammed the door shut. “Sit down!” and we lurched forward. Word from his supervisor to get us out of the area, and quickly, had come.

It was solemn; not much talking, though lots of whispers. The thoughts of bombs and injuries drowned the feelings of accomplishment; months of training and sacrifice stolen by cowards hiding in the shadows. There was no talk of the day’s feat: Only concerns for those still on the course or for friends still missing.

As we headed out of the city, cell service resumed and phones started buzzing. Tearful runners spoke to their loved ones: “Yes, we are OK.” “I have not heard. Call me if you hear from her.” Mark from Fort Worth sat next to me and offered me his phone to call my wife. “Yes, I am OK. I’m on the bus back to Hopkington, and will call when I get back to hotel. Love you.”

Mark offered to drive me back to Milford and to my hotel. I turned and watched the runners exit the bus as he looked for his keys: Some limped, some shuffled, some avoided the stairs. One thing was for sure — they would be back next year. This was the Boston Marathon and these were “Runnas.”

Teas Me

By Jill Grunewald (@JGrunewaldHNC) / April 25, 2013

Tea is cool again. Walk into any modern teashop (many are cropping up around the country) and you’ll likely find an elegantly-lined wall of beautiful earth-toned tea leaves, all waiting to be steeped and savored. The image of well-to-dos sitting upright, pinkie finger curled, is a thing of the past (at least for most of us), and these hip hangouts are here to stay.

The Bud or the Bean?

When it comes to variety, these walls of tea put many a coffee shop to shame. But it’s not just the assortment of flavors and choices that is drawing many coffee lovers to experiment with “the other hot drink.” With the health benefits of tea broadcast far and wide in the recent years, it’s difficult to have missed all of the fuss it has garnered. Because of these benefits, many people have turned to tea as a nourishing alternative to coffee. Whether you’re reducing caffeine intake, or still need your morning buzz, tea is a delicious and refreshing change of routine.

Tea is grown and processed on large plantations throughout China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan. According to tea expert Sebastian Beckwith, “All tea comes from one plant, Camellia sinensis. The differences in the many teas we have––whites, greens, oolongs, blacks, and pu-erhs––is in the specific varietal that was used, the local environment the tea was grown in, and the way it was processed.”

People have been drinking tea for as long as they’ve known how to heat water and recent scientific studies are proving what ancient cultures have known since before recorded history––drinking tea is really good for you. The benefits are quite remarkable:

Enhances immune function
Lowers LDL cholesterol levels
Increases HDL cholesterol levels
Reduces blood pressure
Thins the blood, reducing the risk of a heart attack
Lowers the risk of stroke
Reduces the risk of cancer
Boosts longevity
Aids digestion
Prevents dental cavities and gingivitis

Of the four types listed above, green tea has attracted the brightest spotlight due to having the richest polyphenol content, the antioxidant compounds that tackle free radicals and keep degenerative disease at bay. What many folks don’t realize is that while they’re getting this mighty dose of antioxidants (also found in other teas), what they’re drinking is also providing them with a healthy host of vitamins and minerals. Tea contains carotene, vitamin C, thiamin (vitamin B₁), riboflavin (vitamin B₂), vitamin B₆, panothenic acid, folic acid, manganese, and potassium.

Herb Friendly

Although herbal “teas,” such as mint, chamomile, lemon verbena, and jasmine often look like tea, are packaged like tea, and are steeped like tea, they are actually herbal infusions, or tisanes. These caffeine-free versions are made from other plants and flowers and derive their health-giving benefits not from the antioxidant-rich polyphenol compounds found in true tea, but in properties indigenous to the plant or flower, such as calming and relaxing effects. One newcomer to the spotlight is rooibos (roy-boss) “tea.” Rooibos means “red bush” in Afrikaans and originates from a shrub native to South Africa. Unlike herbal tea, rooibos contains antioxidants and has been shown to treat insomnia, headaches, allergies, and hypertension.

So forget Lipton; there is a whole world of teas (and “teas”) out there for you to get lost in. With more varieties than you can shake a stick at, you owe it to yourself to quiz your local teashop expert on what they have to offer.

Jill Grunewald is a Holistic Nutrition Coach and founder of Healthful Elements.

Are Your Life Choices Creating Vibrant Energy In Your Body?

By Heather and Damian Dubé (@e3EnergyEvolved) / April 23, 2013

There are more aspects to creating health energetically in the human body than just movement and nutrition.

You could be consuming an amazing nutrient-dense food profile, and still not absorbing the nutrients properly in the gut if you’re stressed, if you’re moving too much or multi-tasking while you’re eating, if you’re not masticating your food enough through chewing to break it down for absorption, for example.

So let’s touch quickly on a big energy enhancer or detractor in life: being truthful with yourself

Because in this crazy non-stop world many people rarely take time daily to reconnect internally themselves, they’re constantly looking and focused outwards.

Look inside – what are your deepest truths, desires, dreams? Are you living with integrity in your word, your work, those undeniable truths of yourself? This is a hugely under-estimated part of creating “health”. If you’re not living from a place of integrity, you’re creating emotional & spiritual imbalance in your being that leads to physical illness.

You may think you’re avoiding this, but your body always creates a counter-balance naturally in an attempt to adapt & return itself to balance as a reaction to what you’re doing to it. For every action there is an equal or greater reaction.

So you’re living the consequence right NOW, most people just aren’t connecting the dots that they’re chronic skin issues or their headaches could possibly be the fact that the life choices they’re making are dishonest or untruthful.

You cannot disconnect the mind & body.

Are you working a job you hate?
Are you being forced to do unethical things in your life?
Are you unsure who you want to show up as in this world so you’re faking it by trying to be someone else, instead of just becoming a better you?
Are you lacking integrity in your word, your commitment to yourself, or your loved ones?
Are there things you’ve always wanted to do that you keep putting off until next year?

It all matters ….stop kidding yourself that there are no consequences to “creating stress” or energetic unease by disconnection from your inner being or truth.

Live with integrity, speak your truth, share your passion and watch the wellness in your physical mind & body soar to a new level of vibrant endless energy everyday that you’ve never knew was really possible. True story.

Part Of My Naturally Healing Of My Hashimoto’s Disease & Adrenal Fatigue Had Nothing To Do With Physical, & Everything To Do With Taking An Honest Look In The Mirror At The First 35 Yrs Of My Life.

We speak from experience, having left our entire lives behind after healing my auto immune illness, Hashimoto’s disease, and adrenal fatigue naturally, and making the hard choices and doing the hard work to recreate our lives and begin our e3 Energy Evolved mission for others together.

It’s also how I’ve managed 70 + hour work weeks building e3 Energy Evolved, coaching clients, while training to prepare to compete naturally as a natural national level athlete for over a year.

Part of my healing from Hashimoto’s disease and chronic fatigue was not just nutrition, environmental or integrative health.

It was also taking a very deep honest look at my life and the choices & who I was being that was making that were draining my energy. This was a big one.

I had to face the mirror and look at Heather in her early 30′s for the first time.

I had to realize my adrenal-draining fire drill ad agency job was not healthy for MY body. Maybe someone else’s – but not how MY BODY handles stress. And the only body that mattered at that definitive moment if I wanted to heal naturally was MINE.

I had to stop trying to place the expectations on myself as a women that I could do it all, I should be able to do it all as a newly married, and I should be 200% perfect at all of it to be a “worthy wife”, no matter what I had to sacrifice of me to do it. I was worthy right now, even if my house wasn’t spotless clean all the time. We are united in our imperfections, not the illusion of perfection.

I had to realize that just living for a successful career and 401k’s was leaving some HUGE things out of the picture that weren’t resonating in my heart, that I knew deep down I was put here to serve people in coming to a greater naturally healed and balanced understanding and experience of the human body, and I had to be willing to sacrifice whatever it took, and take action to give that gift back to the world. I couldn’t go on holding the skills, experience and knowledge that Damian and I were gifted with because they weren’t ours alone to have or know. We had to speak up for the human body.

I wasn’t being fully honest or transparent with my mind or spiritual side, & my body was talking back.

Now, I’m not saying that there weren’t huge physical aspects to why I experienced this level of physical imbalance I did – there most definitely were.

What I AM saying is, the path to healing a stress or energy related illness requires we look at all the ways our mind and body are using energy, and we adjust to place our bodies health and ability to create energy #1 above all else.

Part of how Damian and I made it back naturally drug-free was changing how we lived our lives as we began to learn more about these areas of human body health & energy.

So I left a stressful, successful career behind, I started using my gifts everyday creating and educating freely, I began working to serve others for more than a paycheck & for a long time that meant letting go of ANY paycheck, I let go of what I had once believed were needs that were nothing more than possessions realizing what living this way was costing me, we completely changed our life goals and how we viewed money, we let go of our financial safety net & the security of things like insurance, savings & retirement planning for awhile to start a business in our purpose, we returned to school to further our education in our passion & teach, we starting placing what creates health daily on the TOP line item in our budget every single month, we brought back a regular spiritual practice, and I now use everyday to experience my own unique self and develop that more fully.

Ask yourself honestly right now – where are you denying your truth? …which is nothing more than denying the one thing of greatest value you’ll ever have a change at knowing & that’s who you’re meant to be in this world.

Are you feeling this way as a women? Are you pushing yourself too much, over doing, over compensating, not giving enough self-care to your own mind, body, spirit, over working, not creating breathing room? Ask yourself… who is that serving? what are you sacrificing? who else expects it other than you (no one!)? …and are you ready to let go of those choices to allow the space for health in your life?

Everything Is “Energy”, And We Are Either Creating Or Negating It. Pay Very Close Attention.

And be honest with yourself, and share your thoughts & comments below.

Here’s a huge one…. are you ASKING VERBALLY FOR THE HELP & SUPPORT YOU NEED?

Because before I became sick, I wasn’t. However, after I became very skilled at clearly communicating regularly to Damian what I needed help with for the household, what I needed in my life that created health and how he could support me to have that as a team, and he stepped to the plate.

But many women often are not saying verbally what we need. Instead we’re doing it all, not expressing our needs, expecting our spouse to understand what we need without asking, and getting stressed out and pissed off that they’re not mind readers helping, or that they don’t have the same expectations as we do.

Guess what – they never will. So stop expecting that. That’s the first step. This is part of living your truth too.

Here’s the catch: Time is not a guarantee, so you better get to figuring it out quick. But you don’t have to do it all today, have patience with yourself – however, you do have to START taking daily committed actions towards these changes. And remember, the things in life that give us the greatest joy always require the greatest sacrifice and work. This is something Damian and I started in early 2008 and we are still recreating our story and working at, it’s taken us over five years so far, but we have ZERO regrets, it’s been the hardest, yet the BEST choice we’ve made for our lives ever.

Everything is “energy“, and we are either creating or negating it. Pay very close attention.

Your health and energy will never be defined simply by movement & nutrition.

In energy for improved natural health, fat loss & fitness,

Natural Metabolic Recovery & Conditioning Specialists

Creators of the e3 Energy Evolved™ System | www.e3EnergyEvolved.com

Life, a Secret Garden

By Maggie Lyon (@MaggieLyon) / April 18, 2013

Every deep spirit teacher I come across writes in their own enlightened way about suffering and commonplace misery as stemming largely from fighting and resisting the reality of our life. Most all of the analogies boil down to banging our heads repeatedly and wailingly against the brick wall of the present day, while we get angrier by the minute with each resounding bang at the meanness, cruelty, and inflexibility of the wall in front of us.

What would happen if we stepped back, took a literal breather, righted ourselves and relaxed our reverberating heads for a sec? What if instead we gazed more openly upon whatever it is that we assume is blocking us?

Is the wall really so awful, so truly impregnable?

There might actually be some beautiful climbing ivy along one section of its bricks, or a fresh patch of dewy moss clinging to an area of the wall, or a striking pattern of pretty color streaming through another patch.

And maybe, just maybe, the wall that we have resurrected and believe in our hearts and minds to be the negative and inhibiting OBSTACLE to our happiness is quite ironically the very THRESHOLD to it.

Perhaps this curious wall is actually the doorway leading into the secret delicious garden of our life. True, the garden might be a little dilapidated or untended, because it has been so bogged down by the immensity of our struggle with the wall, yet it is hands down the jewel in the crown of the vast landscape in front of us.

With spring officially here—and all the energy, spark, and creativity that comes along with it—let’s nod to and celebrate the paradox of the brick wall and the secret garden it so lovingly protects.

How about we take a giant brave breath, soften our beliefs about the wall, and plunge ourselves headlong into the cultivation of the before-now hidden garden, aka our life as it is?

It’s actually quite simple:

Step 1. Stop all your anguished banging.

Step 2. Start seeing, being, and accepting your life as is, right here, right now.

Step 3. Let the song of your life arise before your tender, touched, and loving eyes.

You in?

With love,

Maggie

Maggie Lyon is a writer on wellness and spirituality, a motivational speaker, and a holistic lifestyle consultant.

Spring Cleanse: It’s All in Your Mind

By Marianne Elliott (@zenpeacekeeper) / April 9, 2013

Throughout human history, spring has been a time when we transitioned from our winter diet of starches and preserved foods, toward the fresh greens, fruit and vegetables that become available as temperatures rise. It was a time to clear out the cellar, start making room for the new harvests.

These days, our lives are driven by so many factors that have little – or nothing – to do with the cycles of nature. The sorts of things we want to ‘clean out’ in spring are more likely to relate to workplace stress or overloaded social media feeds than to the storage of root vegetables. So my spring cleanse offering this year is a simple meditation – a way to clear some mental space in the midst of the mania of modern life.

This beginner’s meditation practice is very simple. I promise, you can do it. And there’s really no way to get it wrong. The only secret is to actually do it. If you are doing it, you are doing it right.

So find a quiet, comfortable place to sit. You don’t need to sit cross-legged on a cushion if that isn’t comfortable. Sit on a chair, but still a little forward – if you can – so that your back is unsupported and long.

Set an alarm so that you don’t have to keep checking the time. If you have one that will sound with something melodic rather than a jarring siren, all the better. To start, try setting it for five minutes. If you’ve done this before, you might want to extend it out to ten minutes. But five is a great place to start.

You can practice with your eyes closed or with them gently open, gazing softly at the ground in front of you. Either is fine. Try both, and see which you prefer.

Take a few rounds of breath to feel your body. As you inhale feel the length and space in your spine, feel your stomach rise, feel your chest expand. As you exhale feel the weight of your body release down into the ground or the chair. Feel the support of the earth or chair beneath you. Inhaling feel space and expansion, exhaling feel release and support.
I find it really helpful to take this time to ground myself in the sensations of my body. It begins to draw my attention in towards center. Being aware of physical sensations also requires paying attention to the ‘right here and now’.

Now, let your mind rest on your breath. Pay attention to your breath. You are not trying to control your breath, not trying to make it different in any way. Simply pay attention to it.

When your mind wanders away from the breath, and you come to your attention in the middle of a blow-by-blow replay of your latest argument with your husband/wife/child, simply notice that you have drifted into thought and gently return your mind to the breath.

When you next wander from the breath, and realize that you are halfway through a thirty item mental grocery list, simply notice that you have drifted into thought and gently return your mind to the breath.

Do you see a pattern here? It really is as simple as that. Your mind will get busy, that is what thinking minds do. Your work here is simply to notice and to realize that you can choose not to go on that journey with the mind. You choose, gently and without judging yourself, to return to the object of your meditation, the breath.

When I first started meditation practice I felt like my mind was a puppy dog. As many times as I gently returned it to the breath it would race off again. Training a puppy takes extraordinary patience, gentleness and perseverance. My mind is much the same.

Once you set aside the time to sit and practice in this simple way every day you will no doubt find, as I did, many ways to worry about whether you are “doing it right” or not. Know this: If you have carved out the time and you have sat down and you are practicing some form of simple meditation then you are doing it. You are not doing it wrong. You are doing it.

You already know how to be still, you already know peace. Everything is already within you. By making this time every day you are finding your way back to what was already there. And, as with any good spring cleanse, you are making space to savor the beauty that is coming to life all around you.

Marianne Elliott is an acclaimed author, human rights advocate and yoga teacher who writes and teaches on creating, developing and sustaining real change in personal life, work and the world. She is the creator of the popular “30 Days of Yoga“ courses and author of Zen Under Fire, a memoir about doing good and being well in war-torn Afghanistan.

Making Room for and Saying Hi to the Divine

By Maggie Lyon (@MaggieLyon) / March 28, 2013

Let’s admit it: Life feels crowded. Sometimes the days are so packed with sick kids, work deadlines, to do lists, errands, and exercise, it is as if we are in perpetual sprint—our blenders stuck on fastest puree—with very few slower moving settings in which we can pause to let the breeze of spirit in, to receive the soft sacred influx of this most sage wind.

To match the demands of our worlds, we’ve grown super stealth at pushing, searching, and looking. Yet, how successful are we at not doing any of these things, at not being such darn good conventional action heroes?

Do we ever make room to not push and do? To conversely sit, get quiet, hold space, and listen instead?

Our toddler often yells out “Make room for me! Make room for me!” when bounding into our bed on weekend mornings. I love this phrase when she shouts it out. I use it as a reminder of what it feels like when God—and I use this term in the vastest and loosest sense, to encompass whatever the sacred and spiritual mean to you—says it too!

For me it always happens in the middle of the night, between about 1 and 4 am, when things are externally peaceful enough that I can hear divinity’s distinct call: “Make room for me! Clear space!” is the message. I get woken abruptly and sit upright, stock still in bed, until the sun rises, with both relief and in resign. Yes, it often takes just such a wake up call to open me to a dialogue with the great beyond.

I am not describing something so huge and far out, but rather a profound internal shift, a willingness to say hello with ease, ready to meet whatever comes back to me on the other end of spirit’s line. It is essentially the courageous act of showing up.

This most recently happened quite starkly on our family vacation a couple weeks ago. Some geographical locations are sacred to our wiring. Some places literally seem to blow the roofs off of our clenched existences, and this one small island in the Caribbean happens to do this for me. Whenever I visit this particular island, I am forced to stop, clear space as my biggest and highest action, and to read the sacred signs.

These calls, and our openness to receive them, are action enough. Even when we feel confused or unclear as to what the divine message is, we can still live in spirit’s glow without an actual state-by-state flight plan. We can radiate and perform all that is required of us, as if we’ve been cleared for celestial takeoff, on God’s runway with engines humming, poised to fly when the time is right. Please believe me on this. The destination is seriously and so totally beside the point.

What I am encouraging today is for you to believe in the simple magic and true exuberance that comes from making room and opening to a conversation with the cosmos.

Try it, or rather, surrender to it.

Go on. Just say hi…

Maggie Lyon is a writer on wellness and spirituality, a motivational speaker, and a holistic lifestyle consultant.

The Ultimate 10-Minute Jump Rope Workout

By Greatist (@greatist) / March 14, 2013

It’s time to take this playground staple to the big leagues. Jumping rope can burn as many calories as running (and build some killer muscles to boot). Plus, a jump rope is the ideal size for travel (and won’t break the bank at $20 or less). Greatist Expert Ilen Bell recommends using Tabata intervals (alternating 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest for four minutes) to really maximize calorie burn [1]. And for this workout, prepare to work: We’re putting 10 minutes on the clock to hit all eight of Bell’s moves — two times through. Need a rope-skipping refresher course? Check out this video of Bell demonstrating each of the moves in order.

The Ultimate 10 Minute Jump Rope Workout

Illustration by Shannon Orcutt

Ready to hop to it? Just remember that in addition to these 10 minutes of aerobic activity, it’s also important to warm up, stretch, and cool down correctly. Jumping into an intense activity with cold muscles is a recipe for disaster (think pulled muscles and torn ACLs) [2]. Get the blood pumping with a short jog or jumping jacks followed by some dynamic warm-up moves like walking lunges, walking toe touches, and skips. It’s time to stop making excuses and get skipping — you could finish a workout by the time it takes to read this article!

0:00-0:20 — Move #1: Two feet together
0:20-0:30 — Rest
0:30-0:50 — Move #2: Front Straddle
0:50-1:00 — Rest
1:00-1:20 — Move #3: High-knees in place
1:20-1:30 — Rest
1:30-1:50 — Move #4: Side straddle
1:50-2:00 — Rest
2:00-2:20 — Move #5: Heel to toe
2:20-2:30 — Rest
2:30-2:50 — Move #6: Five hops to the left, five hops to the right
2:50-3:00 — Rest
3:00-3:20 — Move #7: Alternate feet
3:20-3:30 — Rest
3:30-3:50 — Move #8: Double hop
3:50-4:00 — Rest
4:00-5:00 — Easy skip for recovery

*Repeat*

5:00-5:20 — Move #1: Two feet together
5:20-5:30 — Rest
5:30-5:50 — Move #2: Front Straddle
5:50-6:00 — Rest
6:00-6:20 — Move #3: High-knees in place
6:20-6:30 — Rest
6:30-6:50 — Move #4: Side straddle
6:50-7:00 — Rest
7:00-7:20 — Move #5: Heel to toe
7:20-7:30 — Rest
7:30-7:50 — Move #6: Five hops to the left, five hops to the right
7:50-8:00 — Rest
8:00-8:20 — Move #7: Alternate feet
8:20-8:30 — Rest
8:30-8:50 — Move #8: Double hop
8:50-9:00 — Rest
9:00-10:00 — Cool down

If this series of moves didn’t make you break a sweat, pick a weighted rope for an even tougher challenge (those feet will really have to move!).

Special thanks to Greatist Expert Ilen Bell for creating the workout for this article.

Do you hit the (jump) ropes at the gym? What are your favorite recess-inspired moves? Share in the comments below or tweet the author Sophia Breene (@SophBreene).

Reposted with permission from Greatist, the fastest-growing fitness, health and happiness media start-up. Check out more health and fitness news, tips, healthy recipes, expert and opinion and fun times at Greatist.

Cooking Is a Revolutionary Act

By Mark Hyman, MD (@markhymanmd) / March 12, 2013

The cure for what ails us — both in our bodies and in our nation — can be found in the kitchen. It is a place to rebuild community and connection, strengthen bonds with family and friends, teach life-giving skills to our children, enrich and nourish our bodies and our souls. Yet, in the twenty-first century, our kitchens (and our taste buds) have been hijacked by the food industry. In 1900 only 2 percent of meals were eaten outside of the home; today that number is over 50 percent.

The food-like substances proffered by the industrial food system trick our taste buds into momentary pleasure. But our biology rejects the junk forced on our genes and on our hormonal and biochemical pathways. Your tongue can be fooled and your brain can become addicted to the slick combinations of fat, sugar, and salt pumped into factory- made foods, but your biochemistry cannot handle these foods, and the result is the disaster we have in America today — 70 percent of us are overweight, and obesity rates are expected to top 42 percent by the end of the next decade (up from only 13 percent in 1960).

Today one in two Americans has either pre-diabetes or diabetes. In less than a decade the rate of pre-diabetes or diabetes in teenagers has risen from 9 percent to 23 percent. Really? Almost one in four kids has pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes? Yes, and, perhaps even more shocking, 37 percent of kids at a normal weight have one or more cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or high blood sugar, because even though factory food doesn’t necessarily make you fat, it does make you sick! The food industry taxes our health and mortgages our children’s futures. Obese children will earn less, suffer more, and die younger.

It is time to take back our kitchens and our homes. Transforming the food industry seems like a gigantic undertaking, but it is in fact an easy fix. The solution is in our shopping carts, our refrigerators, and our cupboards — and on our dining room tables. This is where the power is. It is the hundreds of small choices you make every day, choices that will topple the monolithic food industry.

We need a revolution. Cooking real food is a revolutionary act. We have lost the means to care for ourselves. We have now raised the second generation of Americans who don’t know how to cook. The average child in America doesn’t know how to identify even the most basic vegetables and fruit; our kids don’t know where their food comes from or even that it grows on a farm. Cooking means microwaving. Food comes in boxes, plastic bags, and cans. Reading labels is supremely unhelpful in identifying the source of most foods — the ingredients are mostly factory-made science projects with a remote and unrecognizable lineage to real food.

We are brainwashed into thinking that cooking real food costs too much, is too hard, and takes too long. Hence, we rely on inexpensive convenience foods. But these aren’t so convenient when we become dependent on hundreds of dollars of medication a month, when we can’t work because we are sick and fat and sluggish, or when we feel so bad we can’t enjoy life anymore. The average American spends eight hours a day in front of a screen (mostly the television) and spends more time watching cooking shows than actually cooking.

Convenience is killing us.

In fact, real food can be inexpensive. Choosing simple ingredients, cooking from scratch, shopping at discount club stores, and getting produce from community supported agriculture associations (CSAs), community gardens, or co-ops all build health and community and save money. Europeans spend nearly 20 percent of their income on food, Americans only about 9 percent. Food is the best investment in your health.

I believe in the power of collective intelligence. Within my community are hundreds, if not thousands, of unheralded chefs experimenting with food and creating extraordinary meals and recipes. Within our individual and our national communities is the cure for what ails us. We are the answer. We are the revolutionaries who will change the face of food in America and around the world. The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook is the product of this collective intelligence. Truly, the community is the cure!

Yes, we need to change policy in order to change the food we grow and to subsidize real food instead of the walls of processed fat, sugar, flour, and trans fats that line our grocery and convenience stores. Yes, we need to end food marketing to children. We need to make schools safe zones for kids with only those products and activities that support healthy minds and bodies. There is no room for junk food or factory foods in schools. Period. Yes, we need all that and more to take back our kitchens and our health. But each of us can start at home with a kitchen makeover. Three simple actions can change everything:

Do a fridge makeover.
Do a pantry makeover.
Do a shopping cart makeover.

This book gives you advice on what to keep and what to discard from your fridge, pantry and shopping cart. It also provides recipes — gathered from our own community of health and cooking revolutionaries — to delight your palate, stimulate your senses, and nourish your body and soul. The recipes are designed to be made, shared, and enjoyed with friends and family. Think of this book as a roadmap to pleasure and health.

Once you have taken back your kitchen, then you can start something really revolutionary. Find eight (or so) people you would love to know better or spend more time with. Invite them to start a supper club — once a week or once a month. Rotate dinners at one another’s houses. Share the cooking by creating a potluck, or take turns choosing some favorite recipes from this cookbook and preparing a feast for all. At each dinner pick a topic — about food, health, or community — to discuss. Then let the juices flow. The stew of food and friendship will nourish you deeply. In this way — one by one, kitchen by kitchen, community by community — we will take back our health together!

Get started today! Get a copy of The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook today. When you purchase this book from this link you will gain access to these exclusive bonuses:

An invitation to join Dr. Hyman on a live online webinar on March 27^th, 2013. Open to the first 500 buyers only.
In the Kitchen with Dr. Hyman – a “how to” online video series where Dr. Hyman shows you how to shift from a “factory food” diet that’s making you sick to meals that make you healthy. Featuring 90 minutes of entertaining how-to videos.
A 1-week Gluten-Free meal plan, with all new recipes.

** Pilar Gerasimo and her 101 Revolutionary Ways to be Healthy inspired the idea that cooking is a revolutionary act. To learn the other 100 revolutionary ways to be healthy, go to revolutionaryact.com or check out the app.

Mark Hyman, MD is family physician, a four-time New York Times bestselling author, and an international leader in his field.

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